Measurement system and method of use

ABSTRACT

A measurement system, its assembly and use are disclose. The system may include an instrument for making sensor measurements. The instrument has a substantially cylindrical housing. The shape and size allow the instrument to easily fit in an average hand enabling handheld operation. The housing houses a board stack of electronic boards. These electronics drive an electrical signal in at least one drive channel and measure responses from at least two sensing channels. These responses are provided to a processor for analysis. The instrument has a sensor connector that enables simultaneous electrical and mechanical attachment of an end effector.

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/572,574 filed Sep. 16, 2019, which itself is a continuationof U.S. Pat. No. 10,416,118 issued Sep. 17, 2019, which itself claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional patentapplication, U.S. Ser. No. 62/336,442, filed May 13, 2016, each of whichare herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

SUMMARY

In some aspects the inventions relates to the following:

A measurement system comprising an impedance instrument; a substantiallycylindrical housing for the impedance instrument, the housing having anaverage radius between 0.5 and 1.5 inches; and an end-effectorconfigured to attach to the impedance instrument at one end of thehousing.

In some embodiments, of the measurement system the end-effectorcomprises an eddy-current sensor. In some embodiments the eddy-currentsensor is an eddy-current sensor array. In some embodiments theend-effector comprises a capacitive sensor.

In some embodiments the substantially cylindrical housing comprises analignment portion at the end of the housing to which the end-effectorattaches, the end-effector comprises a sensor with a flexible substratematerial and a mechanical support, the sensor includes an electricalconnector, the mechanical support has a mechanical connector, and thealignment portion is configured to engage the end-effector such that theelectrical and mechanical connectors are attached in a single motion. Insome embodiments of the measurement system the single motion is aspinning motion. In some embodiments the portion comprises at least onealignment pin.

Another aspect relates to an apparatus comprising a housing that issubstantially cylindrical; a board stack of at least two electronicboards within the housing, the board stack configured to drive anelectrical signal in at least one drive channel and measuring responsesfrom at least two sensing channels; a communication module configured toprovide the responses to a processor; and an instrument side sensorconnector, located at one end of the housing, operably connected to theboard stack.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a sensor mechanismhaving a sensor and a threaded mechanical feature.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a ring on thehousing mechanically attaching the sensor mechanism, the ring having aretention plate with a pin for aligning a sensor side sensor connectorwith the instrument side sensor connector. In some embodiments thesensor mechanism is secured to the housing by the ring mating the sensorside sensor connector with the instrument side sensor connector suchthat an insertion between connectors is between 20% and 80% of a wipelength associated with said connectors.

In some embodiments the housing comprises a cover section having a firsthole for a display; and a structural section having a plurality ofmounting holes, the board stack mechanically secured to the plurality ofmounting holes via fasteners. In some embodiments the apparatus furthercomprises an energy storage device for powering the apparatus, andwherein the board stack includes an energy storage device managementcircuit, and the housing further comprises a bottom cover sectionsecuring the energy storage device.

In some embodiments the housing further comprises a third section havingside panels running along a longer dimension of the board stack and acrossing plate configured to channel heat away from temperaturesensitive components, the crossing plate fit between a first and asecond electronics board in the board stack.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a gap pad adhered tothe crossing plate and contacting at least one component on the firstelectronics board.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a lanyard connectedto the substantially cylindrical housing.

In some embodiments the outer diameter of the housing is less than 2.5inches.

In some embodiments the processor is mounted on a board within the boardstack. In some embodiments the processor is external to the housing.

In some embodiments the instrument side sensor connector includes pinsfor connecting an encoder.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a mechanicalconnector at a same end of the housing as the instrument side sensorconnector, the mechanical connector configured to attach an end effectorcontaining a sensor to the housing while simultaneously engagingconnection of the sensor to the sensor connector.

In some embodiments the electrical signal is a voltage.

In some embodiments the electrical signal is a current.

Another aspect relates to a method for assembling a substantiallycylindrical apparatus comprising acts of: aligning mounting holes of afirst electronics board with mounting holes on a structural section of ahousing; attaching a plurality of male-male standoffs to respectivemounting holes on the structural section securing the first electronicsboard; aligning mounting holes of an electromagnetic shielding materialto the plurality of male-male standoffs thereby placing theelectromagnetic shielding material over a top surface of the firstelectronics board; aligning mounting holes of a second electronics boardto the plurality of male-male standoffs, and securing an electricalconnector of the second electronics board to a respective electricalconnector of the first electronics board; providing a second section ofthe housing having side panels and a cross plate; attaching a thermallyconductive gap pad to the cross plate; aligning the second section ofthe housing to at least one feature of the structural section of thehousing; aligning mounting holes of a third electronics board to theplurality of male-male standoffs, and securing an electrical connectorof the third electronics board to the electrical connector of the secondelectronics board; engaging a retention feature of a cover section ofthe housing to the second section of the housing; and securing a secondfeature of the cover section with a corresponding feature of the secondsection.

In some embodiment the method further comprises attaching a second coversection of the housing to the structural section.

In some embodiment the method further comprises attaching a ring with aretention plate to one end of the housing.

In some embodiment the method further comprises securing a switch cableto the structural section of the housing prior to aligning mountingholes of a first electronics board with mounting holes on a structuralsection of a housing.

Yet another aspect relates to A apparatus comprising: a structuralsection of a housing; a first electronics board having mounting holesaligned with mounting holes on the structural section of a housing; aplurality of male-male standoffs attached to respective mounting holeson the structural section thereby securing the first electronics board;an electromagnetic shielding material over a top surface of the firstelectronics board, the electromagnetic shielding material havingmounting holes aligned to the plurality of male-male standoffs; a secondelectronics board having mounting holes aligned with the plurality ofmale-male standoffs; a second section of the housing having side panelsand a cross plate; a thermally conductive gap pad attached to the crossplate; a third electronics board having mounting holes aligned with theplurality of male-male standoffs; and a cover section of the housinghaving a retention feature engaged to the second section of the housing,wherein, an electrical connector of the second electronics board issecured to a respective electrical connector of the first electronicsboard; an electrical connector of the third electronics board is securedto the electrical connector of the second electronics board; the secondsection of the housing is aligned with at least one feature of thestructural section of the housing; a second feature of the cover sectionis secured with a corresponding feature of the second section; and thestructural section, the second section, and the cover section of thehousing form a substantially cylindrical shape.

Another aspect relates to an apparatus for measuring impedance, theapparatus comprising: a housing that is substantially cylindrical inshape, less than 3 inches in diameter and less than 12 inches in length;a module configured to apply a current to a first terminal and measurethe impedance at a frequency; an analog to digital converter fordigitally sampling data at a plurality of second terminals; a deviceelectrically connected to the analog to digital converter to receive thedigitally sampled data and using stored firmware to compute the twocomponents of the impedance simultaneously; a power board for providingpower to the analog to digital converter using point of load regulation.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises an electricalconnector at one end of the housing; and a mechanical connector at asame end of the housing, the mechanical connector configured to attachan end effector containing a sensor to the housing while simultaneouslyengaging connection of the sensor to the electrical connector.

In some embodiments the electrical connector comprises an instrumentside sensor connector and instrument side position measuring deviceconnector, the end effector comprises a position measuring device and afoam layer attached to the sensor, and the sensor is a flexible sensorarray having a drive conductor and a plurality of sensing elements;

In some embodiments the power board provides power to the analog todigital converter by digitally sampling the voltage at the analog todigital converter and adjusting the voltage at the power board tocorrect for losses.

In some embodiments the power board is configured to switch from Powerover Ethernet to a battery power source if the Power over Ethernet powersource is outside a specification.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a sensor operablyconnected to the module to receive the current.

In some embodiments the frequency is a first frequency, and the moduleis further configured to simultaneously measure impedance at a secondfrequency.

In some embodiments each second terminal is a sensing element of aneddy-current sensor array, and where the current is applied to a driveconductor in the eddy current sensor array.

In some embodiments the apparatus further comprises a sensor connectorat one end of the housing; wherein a conducting path between the sensingelement and a sensor connector has no active electronics and is lessthan 2 feet in length.

In some embodiments the two components of the impedance are a real partand an imaginary part.

The foregoing is a non-limiting summary of the invention, which isdefined by the attached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a method for assessing the property of a test object accordingto some embodiments;

FIG. 3A-3D is an instrument according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4A-4D are electronics boards according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a method of assembling an instrument according to someembodiments; and

FIG. 6A-6P show assembly of an instrument and an assembled instrumentaccording to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors have recognized the need for providing high-performance,non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment in a highly-portable format.Other needs that can be met by certain disclosed embodiments of themeasurement equipment include easily interchangeable sensor cartridges;a light-weight, handheld format; compatibility with robotic manipulatorsfor inclusion as an end effector in a robotic tool caddy; and the like.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for inspecting a test object130. System 100 includes an instrument 110 and a sensor cartridge 140.Instrument 110 may be housed in a housing 107; in some embodiments thehousing is substantially cylindrical in shape. Sensor cartridge 140 hasa rigid connector which interfaces both mechanically and electricallywith an instrument side connector 105. Advantageously in someembodiments both the electrical and mechanical connections of sensorcartridge 140 engage simultaneously with connector 105. Sensor cartridge140 also includes a flexible sensor 120, and a mechanical support 141 towhich the sensor is attached. Instrument 110 is configured to provideexcitation signals 121 to sensor 120 and measure the resulting responsesignals 123 of sensor 120. Response signals 123 may be measured andprocessed to estimate properties of interest, such as electromagneticproperties (e.g., conductivity, permeability, and permittivity),geometric properties (e.g., thickness, sensor lift-off), materialcondition (e.g., fault/no fault, crack size, corrosion depth, stresslevel, temperature), or any other suitable property or combinationthereof. (Sensor lift-off is a distance between the sensor and theclosest surface of the test object for which the sensor is sensitive tothe test object's electrical properties.) Some further aspects of someembodiments of sensor cartridge 140 are disclosed in U.S. Design patentapplication Ser. No. 29/603,805 filed on May 12, 2017 which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

Instrument 110 may include a processor 111, a user interface 113, memory115, an impedance analyzer 117, and a network interface 119. Though, insome embodiments of instrument 110 may include other combinations ofcomponents. While instrument 110 is drawn with housing , it should beappreciated that instrument 110 may be physically realized as a singlemechanical enclosure; multiple, operably-connected mechanicalenclosures, or in any other suitable way. For example, in someembodiments it may be desired to provide certain components ofinstrument 110 as proximal to sensor 120 as practical, while othercomponents of instrument 110 may be located at greater distance fromsensor 120.

Processor 111 may be configured to control instrument 110 and may beoperatively connected to memory 115. Processor 111 may be any suitableprocessing device such as for example and not limitation, a centralprocessing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), controller,addressable controller, general or special purpose microprocessor,microcontroller, addressable microprocessor, programmable processor,programmable controller, dedicated processor, dedicated controller, orany suitable processing device. In some embodiments, processor 111comprises one or more processors, for example, processor 111 may havemultiple cores and/or be comprised of multiple microchips.

Memory 115 may be integrated into processor 111 and/or may include“off-chip” memory that may be accessible to processor 111, for example,via a memory bus (not shown). Memory 115 may store software modules thatwhen executed by processor 111 perform desired functions. Memory 115 maybe any suitable type of non-transient computer—readable storage mediumsuch as, for example and not limitation, RAM, a nanotechnology-basedmemory, one or more floppy disks, compact disks, optical disks, volatileand non-volatile memory devices, magnetic tapes, flash memories, harddisk drive, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGA), or other semiconductor devices, or other tangible, non-transientcomputer storage medium.

Instrument 110 may have one or more functional modules 109. Modules 109may operate to perform specific functions such as processing andanalyzing data. Modules 109 may be implemented in hardware, software, orany suitable combination thereof. Memory 115 of instrument 110 may storecomputer-executable software modules that contain computer-executableinstructions. For example, one or more of modules 109 may be stored ascomputer-executable code in memory 115. These modules may be read forexecution by processor 111. Though, this is just an illustrativeembodiment and other storage locations and execution means are possible.

Instrument 110 provides excitation signals for sensor 120 and measuresthe response signal from sensor 120 using impedance analyzer 117.Impedance analyzer 117 may contain a signal generator 112 for providingthe excitation signal to sensor 120. Signal generator 112 may provide asuitable voltage and/or current waveform for driving sensor 120. Forexample, signal generator 112 may provide a sinusoidal signal at one ormore selected frequencies, a pulse, a ramp, or any other suitablewaveform.

Sense hardware 114 may comprise multiple sensing channels for processingmultiple sensing element responses in parallel. Though, otherconfigurations may be used. For example, sense hardware 114 may comprisemultiplexing hardware to facilitate serial processing of the response ofmultiple sensing elements. Sense hardware 114 may measure sensortransimpedance for one or more excitation signals at on one or moresense elements of sensor 120. It should be appreciated that whiletransimpedance (sometimes referred to simply as impedance), may bereferred to as the sensor response, the way the sensor response isrepresented is not critical and any suitable representation may be used.In some embodiments, the output of sense hardware 114 is stored alongwith temporal information (e.g., a time stamp) to allow for latertemporal correlation of the data.

Sensor 120 may be an eddy-current sensor, a dielectrometry sensor, anultrasonic sensor, or utilize any other suitable sensing technology orcombination of sensing technologies. In some embodiments sensor 120provides temperature measurement, voltage amplitude measurement, stainsensing or other suitable sensing modalities or combination of sensingmodalities. In some embodiments, sensor 120 is an eddy-current sensorsuch as an MWM®, MWM-Rosette, or MWM-Array sensor available from JENTEKSensors, Inc., Waltham, Mass. Sensor 120 may be a magnetic field sensoror sensor array such as a magnetoresistive sensor (e.g., MR-MWM-Arraysensor available from JENTEK Sensors, Inc.), a segmented field MWMsensor, hall effect sensors, and the like. In another embodiment, sensor120 is an interdigitated dielectrometry sensor or a segmented fielddielectrometry sensor such as the IDED® sensors also available fromJENTEK Sensors, Inc. Segmented field sensors have sensing elements atdifferent distances from the drive winding or electrode to enableinterrogation of a material to different depths at the same drive inputfrequency. Sensor 120 may have a single or multiple sensing and driveelements. Sensor 120 may be scanned across, mounted on, or embedded intotest object 130.

In some embodiments, the computer-executable software modules mayinclude a sensor data processing module, that when executed, estimatesproperties of the component under test. The sensor data processingmodule may utilize multi-dimensional precomputed databases that relateone or more frequency transimpedance measurements to properties of testobject 130 to be estimated. The sensor data processing module may takethe precomputed database and sensor data and, using a multivariateinverse method, estimate material properties. Though, the materialproperties may be estimated using any other analytical model, empiricalmodel, database, look-up table, or other suitable technique orcombination of techniques.

User interface 113 may include devices for interacting with a user.These devices may include, by way of example and not limitation, keypad,pointing device, camera, display, touch screen, audio input and audiooutput.

Network interface 119 may be any suitable combination of hardware andsoftware configured to communicate over a network. For example, networkinterface 119 may be implemented as a network interface driver and anetwork interface card (NIC). The network interface driver may beconfigured to receive instructions from other components of instrument110 to perform operations with the NIC. The NIC provides a wired and/orwireless connection to the network. The NIC is configured to generateand receive signals for communication over network. In some embodiments,instrument 110 is distributed among a plurality of networked computingdevices. Each computing device may have a network interface forcommunicating with other the other computing devices forming instrument110.

In some embodiments, multiple instruments 110 are used together as partof system 100. Such systems may communicate via their respective networkinterfaces. In some embodiments, some components are shared among theinstruments. For example, a single computer may be used control allinstruments. In one such embodiment multiple features, such as boltholes or disk slots, are inspected simultaneously or in an otherwisecoordinated fashion to using multiple instruments and multiple sensorarrays with multiple integrated connectors to inspect a component fasteror more conveniently.

Actuator 101 may be used to position sensor cartridge 140 with respectto test object 130 and ensure suitable conformance of sensor 120 withtest object 130. Actuator 101 may be an electric motor, pneumaticcylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or any other suitable type or combinationof types of actuators for facilitating movement of sensor cartridge 140with respect to test object 130. Sensor cartridge 140 may be positionedmanually in some embodiments, while still other embodiments acombination of actuators and manual positioning may be used. Forscanning applications where sensor 120 moves relative to test object130, it is not critical whether sensor 120 or test object 130 is moved,or if both are moved to achieve the desired scan. Scanning may beperformed in a contact or noncontact manner. For contact sensors, oneembodiment includes a plastic shuttle or metal shuttle that is shapedsimilarly to the surface being inspected, with a flexible layer such asfoam which is attached to the shuttle with an adhesive or other means,and with the sensor mounted to the foam. In some applications the foamor flexible layer is not included and the sensor is mounted directly tothe plastic or other material shuttle.

Actuators 141 may be controlled by motion controller 118. Motioncontroller 118 may control sensor cartridge 140 to move sensor 120relative to test object 130 during an inspection procedure. In oneembodiment, a flexible lead is used to coil on a shaft to enablerotation of a sensor within a hole. In one such embodiment a gain stageof the electronics are located on a rotating mechanism that rotates withthe sensor to improve performance. In another embodiment the entireinstrument is rotated with sensor cartridge 140.

Regardless of whether motion is controlled by motion controller 118 ordirectly by the operator, position encoders 143 of fixture 140 andmotion recorder 116 may be used to record the relative positions ofsensor 120 and test object 130. This position information may berecorded with impedance measurements obtained by impedance instrument117 so that the impedance data may be spatially registered.

Some further embodiments of system 100 are disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/030,094 filed Apr. 18, 2016 (U.S. publishedapplication No. 2016/0274060) which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

System 100 may be used to perform a method 200 for assessing a propertyof a test object, shown in FIG. 2 .

At step 201 a precomputed database of sensor response signals isgenerated. The response signals generated may be predictions of theresponse signal 123 in FIG. 1 for a given excitation signal 121, sensor120 and test object 103. Response signals may be generated for a varietyof excitation signals, sensors/sense elements, and test objects,including variation in the position and orientation of the sensor andtest objet. For example, the precomputed database may be generated formultiple excitation frequencies, multiple sensor geometries, multiplelift-offs, and multiple test object properties (e.g., geometricvariations, electromagnetic property variations). The precomputeddatabase may be generated using a model of the system, empirical data,or in any suitable way. In some embodiments the model is an analyticalmodel, a semi-analytical model, or a numeric (e.g., finite element)model.

At step 203, sensor data is acquired. The sensor data may be acquired,for example, using instrument 110. Sensor data may be a recordedrepresentation of the response signal 123, excitation signal 121, orsome combination of the two (e.g., impedance). In some embodiments,sensor data is acquired at a plurality of excitation frequencies,multiple sensors (or sensing elements), and/or multiple sensor/testobject positions/orientations (e.g., as would be the case duringscanning).

At step 205, the sensor data is processed using the precomputed databasegenerated at step 201. A multivariate inverse method may be used toprocess the sensor data with the

At step 207, a property of the test object is assessed based on theprocessing of the measurement data at step 205. The property assessedmay be an electromagnetic property, geometric property, state,conditions, or any other suitable type of property. Specific propertiesinclude, for example and not limitation, electrical conductivity,magnetic permeability, electrical permittivity, layer thickness, stress,temperature, damage, age, health, density, viscosity, cure state,embrittlement, wetness, and contamination. Step 207 may include adecision making where the estimated data is used to choose between a setof discrete outcomes. Examples include pass/fail decisions on thequality of a component, or the presence of flaws. Another example it maybe determined whether the test object may be returned to service,repaired, replaced, scheduled for more or less frequent inspection, andthe like. This may be implemented as a simple threshold applied to aparticular estimated property, or as a more complex algorithm.

By performing step 201 prior to step 205 it may be possible that steps203, 205 and 207 may be performed in real-time or near-real-time.Though, in some embodiments, step 201 may be performed after step 203such as may be the case when database generation was not possible priorto the acquisition of measurement data, and perhaps further exacerbatedby the fact that the test object may be no longer available formeasurement.

Having described method 200 it should be appreciated that in someembodiments the order of the steps of method 200 may be varied, not allsteps illustrated in FIG. 2 are performed, additional steps areperformed, or method 200 is performed as some combination of the above.While method 200 was described in connection with system 100 shown inFIG. 1 , it should be appreciated that method 200 may be performed withany suitable system.

Turning now to FIG. 3A, an embodiment of instrument 110, referred to asinstrument @100 is discussed.

Instrument @100 has three distinct circuit boards which form a lowprofile electronics board stack. The boards in the stack are referred toas Power Board @110, Channel Board @120, and Driver Board @130. FIG. 3Bshows a block diagram of Power Board @110 which receives both systempower and a network connection from Network and Power Connection @119.The network connection is the means for the instrument to receivecommands from, and send impedance measurement results to a host PC. Thebi-directional data lines from the network correction interface with theinstrument through Network Interface @118. Network Interface @118handles the physical layer of the network stack translating the raw datafrom the network to logical packets that can be interpreted by theinstrument. The translated signals from Network Interface @118 arerouted through Channel Board Connector @117 where they can interfacedirectly with the rest of Instrument @100′s network stack.

The system power from Network and Power Connection @119 is first passedthrough the Input Power Management @116. Input power management @116 isresponsible for ensuring that the power being provided to the systemmeets some basic specification before allowing it to pass to the rest ofthe system. The voltage of the input power is measured to ensure that itis neither too high nor too low for the system requirements. The currentof the input power is also measured and can be cut off if it rises to alevel that may damage the system. In addition to monitoring the qualityof the input power, Input Power Management @116 also decided whether ornot to power the system from a power source wired to Network and PowerConnection @119 or battery pack @150. If wired power is available andwithin specification it may be the preferred power source, however, ifthe wired power source is not present or falls out of regulation theInput Power Management @116 automatically switches to battery pack @150as the power source.

Battery Fuel Gauge @113 monitors the charging and discharging currentsof battery pack @150 to keep track of its charge level and alert theinstrument operator if the level falls below a certain threshold.Battery Charging Circuit @112 manages the charging profile of batterypack @150 to ensure battery safety and health. The circuit individuallymeasures the voltages of each cell in the battery pack and avoidsovercharging any one cell. Battery Charging Circuit @112 also managesthe rate at which the battery is charged, charging faster when thebattery is near empty and it is safe to do so while slowing the rate ofcharge when the battery is nearing full energy capacity. BatteryConnector @111 passes charging and discharging current between batterypack @150 and instrument @100. Battery Connector @111 may be a springpin type connector which makes electrical contact by applying sufficientforce to keep the battery pack pressed up against the connector. Batteryconnector @111 also passes data lines to instrument @100′s I2Ccommunication bus to receive temperature information from battery pack@150.

Input Power Management @116 passes either wired or battery power toPower Converter @115, a quad DC/DC power converter, which regulates themain input power supply down to four lower voltages needed to powervarious electrical components. The Power Converter creates three fixedvoltage supplies of 1.2V, 1.8V, and 3.3V as well as one variable voltagesupply that ranges between 5V-10V. These voltage supplies are used topower most of the circuitry on the power board and all of the rest ofthe circuitry in the instrument. Additional filtering is provided tolower the electrical noise introduced by the switching power suppliesimplemented in Power Converter @115. Point of Load Regulation Module@114 implements point of load regulation in order to maintain a constantand precise voltage right at the point where it is needed on the othercircuit boards. Without point of load regulation the voltages regulatedat the output of Power Converter @115 would not be the same by the timethey reached the components they were intended for. By implementing afeedback loop where the system is sampling the voltage supply next tothe load instead of next to the regulator more accurate power supplyregulation can be achieved.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the layout for one embodiment of power board @110.

FIG. 3C shows a block diagram of Channel Board @120 which receivesanalog signal responses from Sensor Side Connector @121. Channel Board@120 supports seven sensor channels by providing seven fully independentand parallel hardware signal conditioning paths. The signals from theSensor Side Connector @121 are received by 7 fully parallel Low NoiseAmplifiers @122. The signals coming from the sensor are very lowamplitude and care must be taken to introduce as little noise aspossible into the signal at this point. The Noise Factor of theamplifiers is kept low by using high quality operational amplifiers andkeeping the values of resistors as low as practical. DC OffsetCorrection Module @127 uses a digital to analog converter to apply a DCbias in order to cancel the DC offset introduced by Low Noise Amplifiers@122. DC Offset Correction is controlled via a digital feedback loop inwhich the existing DC offset is calculated at the end of the channelpath and the appropriate cancellation voltage is calculated by FPGA @126and applied back to Low Noise Amplifier @122 by DC Offset Correction@127. After the Low Noise Amplifier @122 stage, the next stage in thesignal conditioning path is Variable Gain Amplifier @123. Variable GainAmplifier @123 provides further signal amplification which can increasethe signal to noise ratio of the sensor data. The value of the gainprovided by this stage is set by FPGA @126 and is typically set as highas possible without exceeding the input voltage capabilities of theAnalog to Digital Converter @125.

After the Variable Gain Amplifier @123 stage, the next stage in thesignal conditioning path is ADC Driver @124. ADC driver @124 convertsthe single ended signal that comes from Variable Gain Amplifier @123 toa fully differential signal like Analog to Digital Converter @125requires. ADC Driver @124 also regulates the output common mode voltageof the differential output signal to be equal to the reference voltageprovided by Analog to Digital Converter @125. After ADC Driver @124 thesensor signals reach Analog to Digital Converter @125 which captures adigital representation of the sensor response which can be furtherprocessed by FPGA @126 and sent to the host PC as an impedancemeasurement. FPGA @126 receives the digitized data from Analog toDigital Converter @125 in a serialized format and must de-serialize itbefore performing digital signal processing on it. FPGA @126 implementsa type of digital demodulation by multiplying the incoming digitalsignal by a reference waveform of the same frequency and then applying adigital low pass filter to obtain the real and imaginary part of theimpedance measurement before transmitting the results to the NetworkInterface on the Power Board @110 via the Connector to the Power Board@143.

Memory @128 stores the program for FPGA @126 which must be reprogrammedinto the FPGA every time the instrument powers on. Memory @128 can alsobe used to store information about the system including serial number,or firmware revision number. FPGA @126 also generates the digitizeddrive signal in real time using a cordic algorithm which eliminates theneed to store digital representations of the drive signal at manydifferent frequencies in memory. The digitized drive signal is then sentto the Digital to Analog Converter @129. The Digital to Analog Converter@129 takes the digital data from the parallel data bus of the FPGA @126and converts it into a differential complimentary current signal @141which is sent to the Driver Board via Connector to Driver Board @129. Byvarying the digital data sent to the Digital to Analog Converter @129the FPGA @126 can drive the sensor at a variety of frequencies andamplitudes. FPGA @126 also controls the analog drive conditioningcircuitry on the Driver Board through control signals @140. Thesecontrol signals reach the Driver Board through Connector to the DriverBoard @129 and are used to determine the amplitude of the signal thatdrives the sensor by enabling or disabling different gain stages in thedrive path.

FIG. 4C shows the layout for one embodiment of Channel board @120.

FIG. 3D shows a block diagram of Driver Board @130 which amplifies thelow current drive signal from Channel Board @120 to create the highcurrent signal which is needed to drive the sensor. The drive signal isbrought to Driver Board @130 through Connector to the Channel Board @138and is conditioned by Variable Drive Attenuator @136. To minimize thedistortion of the drive signal and keep as much signal power as possiblein the desired frequency, the signal from the Digital to AnalogConverter is always kept at its maximum amplitude. This will result inthe smoothest transitioning drive signal possible which will helpdecrease the harmonic distortion. However, it is not always desired todrive the sensor at the highest possible level, Variable DriveAttenuator @136 consists of a series of six switchable stages ofoperational amplifiers. At each stage the attenuator can either apply afixed attenuation factor or buffer the signal to the next stage. Bycascading stages in series in this manner, there are 64 unique drivelevels that can be obtained through Variable Drive Attenuator @136.

The attenuated drive signal from Variable Drive Attenuator @136 is thenamplified by the High Current Drivers @134. The high current drivers arecapable of providing the current levels required to drive the sensorhard enough to induce a measurable response on the sense elements of thesensor. As a result of the high current the drivers will dissipate alarge amount of power internally and require heat sinking to the housingof the instrument through a gap pad of high thermal conductivity. Thedrivers also use a dedicated power supply, the voltage of which can bevaried over the entire operable range of the drivers. By lowering thevoltage of the supply when the drivers are operating at a lower drivelevel the amount of wasted power in the system can be reduced, resultingin less heating of the instrument.

For converting the measured voltage of the sensor channels to animpedance value it is necessary to also measure the current that isbeing driven through the sensor. This is accomplished using the CurrentSense Hardware @132 which resides between the high current drivers andSensor Side Connector. The Current Sense Hardware @132 includes twotypes of current measurement circuitry which are intended for differentfrequency ranges of operation. The first type of current sense is aninductive current sense loop which feeds the high current drive signalthrough a primary loop on the printed circuit board and measures thevoltage on a secondary loop which is proportional to the amount ofcurrent being driven into though the primary. This current sense typerelies on inductive coupling between the primary and secondary loopwhich increases with frequency making it the more suitable choice forhigh frequency drives. The second type of current sense is a resistivetype which feeds the high current drive signal through a highly precise,low value sense resistor and measures the voltage drop across theresistor. By using the measured voltage across the resistor and theknown resistance value the current through the resistor can becalculated. Since the relationship between resistance, voltage, andcurrent is independent of frequency, the resistive current sense issuitable for low frequency applications where the inductive currentsense does not provide enough signal. Regardless of which current senseis used, the voltage being measured is conditioned by a signal pathidentical to those used for the sensor channels on Channel Board @120before being measured by the Analog to Digital Converter on the ChannelBoard.

After the high current drive signal is measured by Current SenseHardware @132 it travels through the Sensor Side Connector @131 to theexternal sensor. Sensor Side Connector @131 is also used to returnsignals from the external position encoders and triggers. PositionEncoders are used in the system to keep track of the position of thesensor in scanning applications so measurements can be mapped to aspecific location. Incremental position encoders are typically usedwhich transmit a pulse every time the encoder wheel moves a specifiedangular distance. External triggers are used to allow external stimulisuch as a button or foot pedal to send commands to the instrument suchas take measurement, or calibrate. The signals from both the positionencoders and the triggers are buffered by Encoder/Trigger Receivers @133before being passed down to Channel Board @120 through the Connector toChannel Board @138. On the channel board the FPGA counts the number ofpulses from the triggers and encoders since the last measurement andsend the information to the host PC. The Encoder/Trigger Receivers @133are responsible for level translation between the 5V logic encoders andthe 3.3V logic FPGA as well as generally cleaning up the signals byremoving any false indications.

Wireless Network Module @135 is a self-contained 802.11 b/g WLAN modulewhich communicates with the FPGA through Connector to the Channel Board@138 through a SPI interface. The module can be used to connect to awireless network and transmit measurement data when the wired networkinterface is not available. Wireless Network Module @135 has a chipantenna mounted on the printed circuit board but also offers the abilityto connect an external antenna in case the range of the chip antenna isnot sufficient. Touch Screen Driver @137 interfaces with a resistivetouch panel that is overlaid on the TFT display of the instrument. Thetouch panel consists of two parallel sheets of a resistive film thatalternately have a voltage applied across them by Touch Screen Driver@137 while the other has the voltage across it measured by the driver.When the films are pressed together the driver reads a voltage that isproportional to the location of the touch in either the X or the Y axis.Touch Screen Driver @137 interfaces with the FPGA using a SPI interfacethrough Connector to Channel Board @138.

FIG. 4D shows the layout for one embodiment of Driver board @130.

It should be appreciated that aspects of instrument @100 may beimplemented in ways described for instrument 110 and vice versa.

Instrument @100 has been configured in a mechanical housing suitable forhandheld operation. In some embodiments the housing is substantiallycylindrical in shape (as shown in FIG. 6O) having a diameter ofapproximately 1.5 inches to facilitate easy handheld operation by mostadults. Such a geometry my accommodate comfort, function and asceticsfor handheld operation. Embodiments having a substantially cylindricalshape may have an approximate diameter of less than 1, 2, or 2.5 inchesin order to facilitate handheld operation. Some embodiments of thesubstantially cylindrical housing are disclosed in U.S. Design patentapplication Ser. No. 29/603,661 filed on May 11, 2017 which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety. A substantially cylindricalhousing has no more than 30% variation in radius from a perfect cylinderalong at least 60% of the length.

In some embodiments the surfaces of the housing are adapted for handlingby a robot.

Turning to FIG. 5 , a method 500 is described for assembling a portableinstrument in a housing that is substantially cylindrical. Assembly isdescribed in connection with the Instrument @100 embodiment (describedin connection with FIG. 3 ), though it should be appreciated that method500 may be used with any suitable embodiment of instrument 110.

At step 501 the power board @110 is fastened to the structural section@171 of the substantially cylindrical housing. The structural section ofthe housing is shown in FIG. 6A and serves as a base to build the stackof electronics boards upon.

The power board can be aligned with the structural section by matchingthe mounting holes on the board to the threaded screw holes on thestructural section. There is also an asymmetrical keying in the outlineof the electronics board to prevent the board from being placed in thewrong orientation. The aligned power board is shown in FIG. 6B.

At step @502 Power Board @110 is secured to the structural section ofthe housing @171 in four locations with the use of male-male standoffs@172 as shown in FIG. 6C.

FIG. 6D shows the details of the male-male standoffs @172 which consistof a hexagonal nut @174 of a precise thickness to establish the spacingbetween the power board and the board that will mount above it.Protruding from the nut on either side is a threaded rod @173 used tomate with other features of the housing.

At step @503 an electrically insulated electromagnetic shield @175 isplaced over the power board as shown in FIG. 6E. The shield iselectrically insulated to prevent making inadvertent electricalconnections across or between the two boards that the shield makescontact with. The shield is made of a highly magnetically permeablematerial which prevents the radiated noise from the power board fromreaching the low noise sense hardware on the channel board. The shieldhas the same geometry as the power board, including the asymmetricalkeying, so it can be visually aligned with the power board.

At step @504 Channel Board @120 is placed on top of the shield byaligning the mounting holes on the channel board with the protrudingthreaded rods from the male-male standoffs as shown in FIG. 6F. Thereare two sets of electrical connectors that need to mate in order for theboards to be fully in place. The nut portion of the male-male standoffswill keep the boards spaced precisely the distance required by the boardto board connectors.

At step @505 spacers @176 are placed on each of the threaded rods on themale-male standoffs as shown in FIG. 6G. These spacers set the distancebetween the channel board and the driver board which is the nextelectronics board that will be added.

The next section of the housing that is added to the assembly consistsof two side panels and a crossing plate @177. At step @506, beforemounting it on the assembly, thermally conductive gap pad should beapplied to the side of the cross plate that will face the channel board.The purpose of the cross plate is to provide a section of the housing toheat sink the electrical components that will generate the most heat to.The thermal gap pad has a very high thermal conductivity and serves asthermal connection between these components and the cross plate whichwill allow heat to be more easily removed from the components. The gappad is adhesive to the housing section and will conform around thecomponents on the channel board when pressure is applied.

At step @506 the section of the housing with the cross plate @177 shouldbe placed on top of the channel board in the assembly. The housingsection has keying features which align with asymmetrical cutouts on thesides of the electronics boards to prevent connection in the wrongorientation.

At step @507 the section of the housing with the cross plate @177 issecured to the structural section of the housing with the use of sixscrews. The tightening of these screws will press the gap pad downagainst the channel board components providing maximum contact surfacearea for the best thermal connection. The secured section of the housingwith the cross plate @177 is shown in FIG. 6H.

At step @508 the third and final electronics board, the Driver Board@130, is placed on top of the assembly as shown in FIG. 6I. The mountingholes of the driver board can be aligned with the threaded rods of themale-male standoffs. There are three sets of electrical connectors thatneed to mate in order for the boards to be fully in place. The spacersthat were placed on top of the channel board will keep the boards spacedprecisely the distance required by the board to board connectors.

At step @509 the four threaded rods of the male-male standoffs can eachbe terminated with a nut @178 as shown in FIG. 6J. A thread lockingcompound should be applied to the threads of the connection beforetightening down the nut; this prevents the nuts from coming loose overtime and possibly causing electrical shorts. The nuts, once tighteneddown, ensure a reliable electrical connection between all the boards inthe electronics stack by compressing them together.

At step @510 a Screen Guide @179 is placed on the Driver Board whichholds the screen display in the correct position. The screen guide is aplastic guide that fits into several alignment features in the housingand on the electronics boards as shown in FIG. 6K. This guide makes surethat the display will be positioned in the correct spot and not slidearound once the case has been sealed.

At step @511 a TFT Screen @180 is placed on Screen Guide @179 as shownin FIG. 6L. The screen makes its electrical connection to the driverboard by connecting the flex cable on the screen to the zero insertionforce connector on the driver board. Also mounted on the screen is abeveled border piece which provides a clean looking border for thedisplay once the housing is sealed.

At step @512 the cover section of the housing @181 is placed over thedriver board and the screen as shown in FIG. 6M. The cover must be slidinto position at a 45 degree angle from the sensor side of theinstrument to engage the retention clips before lowering the cover downover the driver board. There are also rectangular posts on the coversection that need to align with a corresponding feature on the sectionof the housing with the cross plate. Once the cover section is inposition it is fastened down the rest of the housing using two screwsthrough the top of the housing located by the screen and two more screwsthrough the side of the housing.

At step @513 a rear cover @182 is connected to the structural section ofthe housing to cover the compartment for the optional energy storageunit. The cover is keyed with an alignment feature that prevents thecover from being connected in the wrong orientation. Once the cover isresting in place it is secured with three screws into the structuralsection of the housing as shown in FIG. 6N. It is important that thecover is not installed until this step in the process since it coversthe screw holes needed to secure the structural section of the housingto the section with the cross plate.

At step @514 a threaded ring @183 is placed on the sensor connector endof the instrument which is used to connect the instrument to any numberof modular sensor tips. The ring is then held in place by a retentionplate @185 which connects to the housing of the instrument with the useof three screws as shown in FIG. 6O. The retention plate is fixedtightly against the instrument but there is clearance such that the ringcan still spin freely. The retention plate also features alignment posts@184 that correspond to features on the modular sensor tips to guaranteeappropriate alignment of the electrical connectors.

The sensor tip connection mechanism is designed such that it comprisesboth an electrical connection via the electronics board mountedconnectors and a mechanical connection via the threaded ring. Thisarrangement ensures that the electrical connection remains constant aslong as the threaded ring is tightened down all the way. The linearmotion of the threading process also ensures that the connectors mate ina perfectly flat orientation which is important for the lifespan ofelectrical connectors and for reducing the risk of inadvertentelectrical short circuits. This connection scheme also reduces the riskof damage from mechanical shock to the sensor end of the instrument bydirecting the load through the housing rather than the electronicsboards. This is accomplished by mating the electrical connectors farenough that they provide a reliable electrical connection but not so farthat they are bottomed out. Electrical connectors offer a specificationcalled electrical wipe @186 which specifies a range of mating distancesfor which a reliable electrical connection is guaranteed, this conceptis shown in FIG. 6P. By keeping the mating distance on the lower end ofthis range when the mechanical ring connection is bottomed out there isroom for the sensor connector to move under mechanical load beforetransferring the force to the electronics board stack. Conversely themechanical connection has no clearance to move within and the force willbe directed into the sturdy housing.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations,modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled inthe art.

Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to bepart of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description anddrawings are by way of example only.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can beimplemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may beimplemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, the software code can be executed on anysuitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in asingle computer or distributed among multiple computers.

Further, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in anyof a number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, acomputer may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as acomputer but with suitable processing capabilities, including a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other suitable portable orfixed electronic device.

Also, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. Thesedevices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface.Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interfaceinclude printers or display screens for visual presentation of outputand speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentationof output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a userinterface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touchpads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receiveinput information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in anysuitable form, including as a local area network or a wide area network,such as an enterprise network or the Internet. Such networks may bebased on any suitable technology and may operate according to anysuitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks orfiber optic networks.

Also, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded assoftware that is executable on one or more processors that employ anyone of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, suchsoftware may be written using any of a number of suitable programminglanguages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may becompiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code thatis executed on a framework or virtual machine.

In this respect, the invention may be embodied as a computer readablemedium (or multiple computer readable media) (e.g., a computer memory,one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes,flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arraysor other semiconductor devices, or other tangible computer storagemedium) encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one ormore computers or other processors, perform methods that implement thevarious embodiments of the invention discussed above. The computerreadable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program orprograms stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more differentcomputers or other processors to implement various aspects of thepresent invention as discussed above.

In this respect, it should be appreciated that one implementation of theabove-described embodiments comprises at least one computer-readablemedium encoded with a computer program (e.g., a plurality ofinstructions), which, when executed on a processor, performs some or allof the above-discussed functions of these embodiments. As used herein,the term “computer-readable medium” encompasses only a computer-readablemedium that can be considered to be a machine or a manufacture (i.e.,article of manufacture). A computer-readable medium may be, for example,a tangible medium on which computer-readable information may be encodedor stored, a storage medium on which computer-readable information maybe encoded or stored, and/or a non-transitory medium on whichcomputer-readable information may be encoded or stored. Othernon-exhaustive examples of computer-readable media include a computermemory (e.g., a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, or other type of computermemory), a magnetic disc or tape, an optical disc, and/or other types ofcomputer-readable media that can be considered to be a machine or amanufacture.

The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense torefer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executableinstructions that can be employed to program a computer or otherprocessor to implement various aspects of the present invention asdiscussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that accordingto one aspect of this embodiment, one or more computer programs thatwhen executed perform methods of the present invention need not resideon a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modularfashion amongst a number of different computers or processors toimplement various aspects of the present invention.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modulesmay be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in anysuitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may beshown to have fields that are related through location in the datastructure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigningstorage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium thatconveys relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanismmay be used to establish a relationship between information in fields ofa data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or othermechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, incombination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussedin the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore notlimited in its application to the details and arrangement of componentsset forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings.For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in anymanner with aspects described in other embodiments.

Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example hasbeen provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be orderedin any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed inwhich acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, whichmay include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown assequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are usedmerely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain namefrom another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinalterm) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. A measurement system comprising: an impedanceinstrument; a housing for the impedance instrument; and an end-effectorconfigured to attach to the impedance instrument at one end of thehousing, wherein the housing comprises an alignment portion at the endof the housing to which the end-effector attaches, the end-effectorcomprises a sensor with a flexible substrate material and a mechanicalsupport, the sensor includes an electrical connector, the mechanicalsupport has a mechanical connector, and the alignment portion isconfigured to engage the end-effector such that the electrical andmechanical connectors are attached in a single motion.
 2. Themeasurement system of claim 1 wherein the end-effector comprises aneddy-current sensor.
 3. The measurement system of claim 2 wherein theeddy-current sensor is an eddy-current sensor array.
 4. The measurementsystem of claim 1 wherein the end-effector comprises a capacitivesensor.
 5. The measurement system of claim 1 wherein the single motionis a spinning motion.
 6. The measurement system of claim 1 wherein thealignment portion comprises at least one alignment pin.
 7. An apparatusfor measuring impedance, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a moduleconfigured to apply a current to a first terminal and measure theimpedance at a frequency; an analog to digital converter for digitallysampling data at a plurality of second terminals; a device electricallyconnected to the analog to digital converter to receive the digitallysampled data and using stored firmware to compute the two components ofthe impedance simultaneously; a power board for providing power to theanalog to digital converter using point of load regulation; anintegrated electrical connector and mechanical connector positioned onthe housing, the mechanical connector configured to attach an endeffector containing a sensor to the housing while simultaneouslyengaging connection of the sensor to the electrical connector.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the electrical connector comprises aninstrument side sensor connector and instrument side position measuringdevice connector, the end effector comprises a position measuring deviceand a foam layer attached to the sensor, and the sensor is a flexiblesensor array having a drive conductor and a plurality of sensingelements;
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising: a sensoroperably connected to the module to receive the current.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the frequency is a first frequency, andthe module is further configured to simultaneously measure impedance ata second frequency.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the twocomponents of the impedance are a real part and an imaginary part. 12.The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each second terminal is a sensingelement of an eddy-current sensor array, and where the current isapplied to a drive conductor in the eddy current sensor array.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 12, further comprising a conducting path between thesensing element and the electrical connector has no active electronicsand is less than 2 feet in length.
 14. An apparatus for measuringimpedance, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a module configured toapply a current to a first terminal and measure the impedance at afrequency; an analog to digital converter for digitally sampling data ata plurality of second terminals; a device electrically connected to theanalog to digital converter to receive the digitally sampled data andusing stored firmware to compute the two components of the impedancesimultaneously; and a power board for providing power to the analog todigital converter using point of load regulation; wherein the powerboard provides power to the analog to digital converter by digitallysampling the voltage at the analog to digital converter and adjustingthe voltage at the power board to correct for losses.
 15. The apparatusof claim 14, wherein the power board is configured to switch from Powerover Ethernet to a battery power source if the Power over Ethernet powersource is outside a specification.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein each second terminal is a sensing element of an eddy-currentsensor array, and where the current is applied to a drive conductor inthe eddy current sensor array.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, furthercomprising: a sensor connector positioned on the housing; wherein aconducting path between the sensing element and the sensor connector hasno active electronics and is less than 2 feet in length.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 14, further comprising: a sensor operably connectedto the module to receive the current.